Colts avoid 0-2 start, beat Vikings with late field goal

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis
Colts found their rhythm just in time to avoid their first 0-2
start in a decade.

Adam Vinatieri nailed a 47-yard field goal with three seconds
remaining as the Colts rallied from a 15-point deficit to stun
the Minnesota Vikings, 18-15, on Sunday.

Shut out in the first half for the first time since October 8,
2006, against Tennessee, the Colts finally got on the board on
Joseph Addai's 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Manning hit Reggie Wayne for a 32-yard touchdown with 6:01 left
and Dominic Rhodes scored on the two-point conversion run to tie
it.

"Our old coach, Jim Mora, said, 'Never, ever take winning for
granted,' and that is probably something that probably needs to
be reminded to people around here," Manning said. "We have won a
lot of games. I don't believe in ugly wins. All wins are sweet,
they're hard to come by."

Adrian Peterson had 29 carries for 160 yards, but Minnesota
repeatedly stalled in scoring position. Ryan Longwell supplied
the Vikings' entire offense with five field goals, three coming
in the first half.

"Would I have loved to be up 21-0? Certainly I would have, but
to stake ourselves to a lead and be shutting them out,"
Minnesota coach Brad Childress said. "They found a way to make
one more play. We need to find a way to make one more play."

After forcing a three-and-out deep in Vikings territory,
Indianapolis took possession at midfield with 1:07 left in the
fourth quarter. On 3-and-9, Manning connected with Wayne on a
20-yard pass over the middle to put Vinatieri - who had missed a
30-yarder early in the fourth - in position for the game-winner.

"It looked like we were down and out," Vinatieri said. "We found
a way to get back into it. We fought back the whole and found a
way to get it done."

The Colts were sluggish throughout the first half, a week after
a disappointing 29-13 season-opening loss against the Chicago
Bears.

However, they woke up in the second half, gaining 236 yards
after being held to 85 in the first half.

"I guess we executed better in some phases," Manning said. "We
never got much of a running game going, ever. We hit a couple of
plays."

Manning struggled to connect with his All-Pro receivers Wayne
and Marvin Harrison. Wayne caught his first pass in the second
quarter and dropped a long pass on third down which went through
his hands. Harrison did not record his first catch until the
last play of the third quarter.

Manning finished 26-of-42 passing for 311 yards with a touchdown
and two interceptions.

"We were hitting him all day," said Vikings defensive end Jared
Allen, who tallied his first sack for Minnesota. "He did a great
job of stepping up at the end."

One receiver that Manning was able to hook up with was Anthony
Gonzalez, who caught nine catches for 137 yards and had a
momentum-changing play late in the third quarter.

On a 3rd-and-6 at their own 24-yard line, Gonzalez caught a long
pass from Manning and took it into Vikings territory. As he was
being brought down by a defender, Gonzalez lateraled the ball to
Wayne, who took it 18 yards before being tackled at the 1.

"Reggie was coming down to set up a block and I just flipped it
to him," Gonzalez said. "I was hoping he would do something with
it. He did, he's a playmaker."

"No different whether the ball comes from Peyton or Gonzalez, I
have to come up with it," Wayne said. " We were kind of
struggling and needed a big play, and (Gonzalez) threw it to me
and I got it."

The initial call was a touchdown by Wayne, but after a Minnesota
challenge, he was ruled down before crossing the goal line.

After two sneaks by Manning failed, Addai scored on third down.
The Vikings challenged the ruling again, but the on-field call
was upheld as the Colts drew within 15-7.

"We needed a big play," Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said. "It
changed the field position. The ball was in our end of the field
the whole first half. That kind of turned it around. Once we
were able to get back within one score, then we had some energy
on our sideline."

Addai was stymied by Minnesota's top-ranked rush defense from a
year ago. He finished with just 20 yards on 15 carries.

The Colts again played without star center Jeff Saturday, and
tight end Dallas Clark missed the game after being hurt in the
opener.

"This was probably one of the most satisfying wins we've had,
definitely since I've been in Indianapolis," Dungy said. "It
wasn't the most artistic, and I told the team we've got a lot of
the glass-is-half-empty, glass-is-half-full stuff, but I was
very, very proud of our effort."

Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson struggled for the second
straight week, finishing 14-of-24 for 130 yards. The Vikings
were 2-of-13 on third down.

"We're all in this together," Childress said. "The last time I
checked, they're not going to crown anybody king after one game
or after two games. That's why we press on."